Chapter XX: The Day of Triumph

On Wednesday, January 20th, we were suddenly summoned in the hot sun of 2 P.M. to the Komasi Palace. As we sat under the south-eastern corner shade we were greeted with Al-Afiyah by our companions in misfortune, the Moslems, who wore their usual snowy turbands and long white and blue robes. Men in war tunics and wrappers hurried to the palace, and strings of women were coming out all dust, showing that they had been made over as wives to new captains.

We entered and sat down as usual beneath the thin tamarind tree, opposite the huge whitewashed storehouse. Everything was very military: the King’s verandah was a line of poor, sooty, and tattered umbrellas, and before us were four similar, also blackened: one of these was for the fetishmen, whose ten iron sticks were planted in the ground. Opposite them, and on our side—the left—were seven umbrellas, and within the bamboos stood the Fanti women fresh returned from the campaign. They were in fighting garb, with white fillets round their heads, short drawers, brown war tunics like the men’s, and not longer than kilts, girt with white sashes and kept in position by cartridge boxes, with brilliant pouches on their left sides, bright muskets, razors and knives. Their ornaments were necklaces, projecting _glorias_ of brown monkey skins, quantities of fetish beads, talismans and other decorations about their breasts, and brass and iron rings on their left arms. They were commanded by Danh-ji-hun-to, a thin, yellow, middle-aged woman, with a hoarse voice and wearing two diminutive antelope horns on her forehead.

At 4.25 P.M. a long line of unarmed men ran up, in Indian file, and deposited near the bamboo barrier fifteen little bundles of coarse matting. They were followed by four loads of calabashes, a bit of broken canoe, a sheep and a goat carried in arms, nine old muskets and other equally valuable trophies, which were ranged by the gallant captors in a semi-circle before the King. Silence was proclaimed by a knot of some eighty fighteresses and wives, who sat together in the open air on the right of the throne, with their “drum,” three small rattles, and one cymbal, on their proper left. The front rank wore silver horns; each waved a fly-flapper when singing, and the handles of their long knives were hung with pink streamers. Behind them were successively silver hair, spangles, white fillets, and red nightcaps, placed loosely on the heads of the blunderbuss women to keep off the sun. One had the true sweep’s face, with cherry lips, and glaring white eyes set in deep circles of black. All the _troupe_ squatted on their heels, kneeling up when the emphasis of the song required it.

The fat Adanejan opened the speeching: the gist of his lengthiness was, that Eddon, chief of Jabatan, a town of Makhi-speaking Nagos in Agoni, about one day beyond Iketu, had ever been a spy and a malignant, sending in reports to the King’s enemy, Abeokuta. The place had been taken after six shots; there were few prisoners, as all the men ran away, consequently the captors had proved themselves poor soldiers. The mat bundles, then opened, disclosed human skulls imperfectly cleaned, some being only smoke dried. One was much shattered, and another had part of the green scalp adhering to the bone. It was a shabby display compared with the days when, after an attack on Badagry, Sinmenkpen (Adahoonzou II.) bought of his men 6000 crania.

The four skulls “with names” were then presented by the Adanejan as Chabi the second chief, a Vodun-no or fetish woman, and Favi and Adibi, two princes. Followed the live male prisoners of distinction. They were naked to the waist, which was wrapped in blue calico, and they knelt, with hands tied before and elbows connected behind by a lanyard, which was held by a soldier, also on his knees. At each presentation a servant of the Adanejan placed both hands upon the captive’s shoulders, standing behind him, and called out his name and rank, which were repeated to the King by a high officeress. The following fourteen were presented: First were three boys; Eddon the chief, a miserably lean scowling man, who will certainly lose his head, and Doicha Vodun-no, his brother; three princes, Legbo, Bwedon, and Yabi; a hunter and a chief drummer; Chago, a boy, one of the chief’s nephews, three small children, black, yellow, and brown; and three sons of hunters, Bosu, Akholu, and Bosan. After presentation, they were all led away by the men.

A violent drumming introduced nine women “with names,” as follows: Chago, Epwe, Ayinan, and Ede, wives of the chief—the third very old, the last aged about ten; Meneke and Yabu, hunters’ wives; Loko-si, a hunter’s sister; Nyon, a Tansi-no, or fetish woman for the King; and Ojohon, the daughter of a chief long ago slain. Behind them stood several others, who were not named. The women captives, including one with a babe at the breast, born on the march—

O Lucina ferox, hoc peperisse fuit?

—were led away by the women troops.

After this function, two boys and two girls were brought in from left to right, were placed kneeling before and were presented as gifts to the King. These the first fruits of the capture, are never bound till in the royal presence: they are technically called So-si or Thunder-tail.[201] After this customary ceremony, the messengeresses took the end of the long tether connected with each small left arm, and conducted the tribute into the harim.

Five soldier-prisoners were next placed on their knees, and were named like the captives; one had lost his gun, another had tied up his sword in a bundle, a third had no gunpowder, a fourth no ball, and the last had drawn the royal ammunition without bringing back either head or prisoner. The recreants were huddled away to jail, and their sentence was confirmed by prolonged “Ububu,” from the male, and “Khe” on the part of the feminine soldiery.

The Addugba drum then struck up. It is played by public women, an organized and royal institution, appointed from the palace, and placed under the Meu for the comfort and refreshment of the lieges.[202] The present King has appointed a fresh troop of ladies of pleasure, but they have not as yet received permission to practise. At first the _honorarium_ was twenty cowries; hence the common title “Ko-si,” score- wife or _quadrantaria_[203]: at the representation of the ministers the _solatium_ was increased to two strings, or fourfold. They drum during the day at the royal abode, and late at night they return to their own quarters, near the Bwekon village and the Agbome Gate. There are peculiarities about the institution which will presently strike the reader.

The Addugba, “for outside,” consisted of four men and two women, the latter standing behind with veiled bosoms, blue pagnes, and white fillets: they used as fans discs of thin brass, pierced with holes and surmounting long light handles. Their leader had a leathern apron, after the fashion of the Lake Regions, but lined and streaked with cowries. There were also the Ko-si, or _quadrantariæ_, “for inside,” an amount of cynicism, which I had hardly expected. This internal Addugba stood behind the warrioresses on the left of the throne, and wore red headkerchiefs, and white and scarlet tunics, with lines of yellow cloth, under blue pagnes. The men knelt and performed in the presence of the King. The Adanejan now brought forward a sixth prisoner, and explained his offence, deserting to Iketu, and attempting to join Jabatan. This caitiff was also led off by his rope.

Shouts and trills announced that cowries and cloth were being brought from the palace. Each owner of a skull received for it a head of shells (equal to two shillings),[204] and the grizzly semi-circle broke up. The fetisheers sang:—

E Bo-hun e degi.

The Bo-drum (of war), it is very good!

All the captives “with names” advanced on their knees up a lane leading towards the King, and formed by ministers on one side and by captains on the other. Their cords were held by their captors, who sold them to the Crown. The minimum price was one head and two fathoms of cloth: an old woman with children in her arms, and presently led off to the harim, fetched the maximum, a large cloth and two heads and a half. All except a small child, that cried a little with fear, showed the utmost stoicism. The captors were then, with the usual ceremonies, invested by the ministers; and each cloth was acknowledged with cries, to the soft sounds of flageolets and the tinkling of cymbals. The prisoners “without names” were then sold. Finally, the chief Eddon and his brother Doicha were placed kneeling before the throne. His lucky captor, “Kiko,” a young captain, after ample praise from the King as a warman that had brought in three skulls, received, by various instalments, a total of sixteen heads and a long white cloth. The capturer of the chief’s brother received a pink pagne.

Divers decorated men now came hastily forward with war-axes and “blue knives.” One youth declared that he would slay eighty, others forty of the foe, and others still more moderately: at the end of this boasting all prostrated and shovelled up the dust. “Ago” proclaimed Silence! and the Adanejan told the public, to cries of “Tamulé!” that they must fight bravely against Abeokuta. They clapped hands, received cowries and liquor, and retired. The Gau and five men then made furious speeches about the Egbas, ending with a sandbath, and the King caused villanous cachinnation by declaring that when “spreading a table” for his father he must place Jabatan upon it. To which the lanky chief listened without moving even an eye-lid.

The Blue and afterwards the Fanti Companies rose, and capered from side to side. Four Ananun-wa-hwisu, or “blue knives,” were then placed before the King, and a corresponding number of women rushed out, grounded muskets, took up the _armes blanches_, and danced like furies. As usual, the men imitated them. It being my turn to give “bakhshish,” I wrote a promissory note of 100 dols. for the women and 50 dols. for the men, who have other means of subsistence. The bamboo fence was thrust out, and Gelele came to the fore, dressed in a white fillet and a Mauve-coloured tobe, one woman fanning and another shading him with a red and yellow parasol. We remained seated as he harangued the lieges about my gift, and whilst the herald shouted his strong names he declared that Abeokuta, being no longer the Englishmen’s friend, must be broken. After presenting cloth to his new favourite, the Ajyaho, and requesting me to come to-morrow and address my company, he sent to us the usual two flowered caraffes of rum, upon which we soon beat a retreat into the cool moonshine.

At 1 P.M. on Thursday, January 21, we again went to the palace, and found a similar _mise-en-scène_. About 200 Blues, some with gunpowdered cheeks and forehead, were squatting in a semicircle before the throne: on its right was a knot of about sixty female singers, on its left the same number of Fanti women. The band, with waved hands and loud hums at the end of each strophe, were singing:—

A dog fetches game for its master;

So the King brought Ishagga to his father’s ghost:

which sounded much like bathos or anti-climax. The ensuing clamour, boasting, presenting arms and fearfully lengthy songs, were sleepy work as well as absurd. That ancient Pistol, Adan-men-nun-kon, strode up and down before the King, shouting Ye-ge! and pretending to weep over the doom of the Egbas, who were eating and drinking, laughing and talking, all heedless of the evil which awaited them. He was unconsciously uttering his own death wail.

Another song, a storm of drums and rattles, and a “blue knife” dance, summoned the King to perform, which, however, he did not. Two swords and sash-belts sent to the chief’s captors, an old musket and powder pouches or cartridge boxes, each worth perhaps a shilling, distributed amongst the less deserving, caused a renewal of saltation and saluting. Two piles of two hundred cowrie-heads, surrounded by rum bottles, were heaped up “for woman’s side,” and “for man’s side”: amongst the workwomen we recognised the Yavedo—Mr. Dawson’s younger mother—a large black girl, perhaps ten years younger than her son. After more speeches, vows and advice, especially from the Gau, who told the soldiers to prepare provisions so as not to faint on the road, twenty-five kegs[205] of powder were exhibited as the material for the morrow’s firing.

As sunset was approaching, the King summoned me before him to address his guards. I was accompanied by Mr. Cruikshank and by Messrs. Bernasko and Dawson, the “Prince Bah,” _alias_ Beecham, interpreting. I began by saying that amongst us the officer is answerable when the soldier is unprepared for fight. Our mode of inspecting and examining arms was then shown. Against this nothing could be advanced. I next proposed to place the left hand under the trigger guard, and inserting a knife handle into the barrel muzzle, imitated our original bayonet. The King at once objected, firstly, that it is good for soldiers even in play to run risk, and, secondly, that they were expected to “go in” and “give a touch” with their daggers. He evidently is, or would be, a “_général à dix mille hommes par semaine_.” Of course, nothing remained to say but that every country has its customs; and that amongst us it is, or it ought to be,

“More honourable far _servare_

_Civem_ than slay an adversary.”

Being then urged to address the Blues, I exhorted them to talk less and to do more, quoting,

Avun do kho, e do kho, e dume a.

A dog (who) talketh palaver, he talketh palaver, he biteth not.

This the old landlord illustrated by falling on all fours, and growling like the _canidæ_, which here do not bark.[206] It being a Dahoman fashion to praise the women at the expense of the men, I told the latter that in our country the feminine gender was garrulous, and the masculine silent, whereas at Agbome the phenomenon was reversed. As Adan-men-nun- kon again violently addressed his monarch, he was told to keep all that energy for the King of Abeokuta. The women, after deriding him, thanked me, through their commanding officer, and next morning came a present of provisions from both companies, with the usual complimentary message that they had sat up all night pondering over the words of wisdom which had fallen from my lips.

We were summoned on Friday, January 22nd, but business detained the King till sunset, when he accepted an excuse. Saturday also was a day of rest, our notes requiring to be written out. The time slips easily away at Agbome. Rising with the dawn, we set out as soon as the hammock-men can be collected, and walk till nine A.M. Refection follows till eleven, and my lesson in Ffon outlasts the noon. If we visit the Komasi Palace, the rest of the day will be a blank; the brain becomes so weary that work in the evening is impossible. If we avoid it, the afternoon is an inverted copy of the forenoon.

[Footnote 201: So (thunder, or heavy firing of guns), sí (a tail; not to be confounded with ’sì for assì, a wife). The animal’s tail is the hunter’s trophy, and he always removes it the first.]

[Footnote 202: So far Dahome is in advance of us. We now begin to see the advantage of Lock Hospitals for the soldier, when every man of sense recognized it years ago.]

[Footnote 203: Ko-si is not insulting; Agaleto, or _buona roba_, is; Agaleto-vi—filius meretricis—is a common abusive phrase.]

[Footnote 204: In the History, the utmost price of a skull is twenty ackies of cowries, or thirty shillings; of a captive thirty-two cabess, cabeça, or head of cowries, equal to £16.]

[Footnote 205: The mark was “Kames Mills,” probably American sold as English gunpowder, which the King prefers, finding, it is said, too much charcoal in the French.]

[Footnote 206: In the kingdom of Uganda, north of Unyamwezi, courtiers acknowledge the presence by wallowing and whining like dogs. Here they wallow, but do not whine.]